[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 85 (Thursday, June 25, 1998)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D713-D715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT--IMPLEMENTATION
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on Department Operations, 
Nutrition, and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing to review the 
implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act. Testimony was heard 
from Richard Rominger, Deputy Secretary, USDA;

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Fred Hansen, Deputy Administrator, EPA; Jean-Mari Peltier, Chief Deputy 
Director, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Pesticide 
Regulation, State of California; and public witnesses.
AGRICULTURAL EXPORT PROGRAMS ADMINISTRATION'S USE
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities held 
a hearing to review the Administration's use of agricultural export 
programs. Testimony was heard from Representative Hill and August 
Schumacher, Jr., Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural 
Services, USDA.
INTERIOR AND VA, HUD AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Ordered reported the following 
appropriations for fiscal year 1999: Interior and VA, HUD and 
Independent Agencies.
HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE AVAILABILITY ACT
Committee on Banking and Financial Services: Began markup of H.R. 219, 
Homeowners' Insurance Availability Act of 1997.
  Will continue July 15.
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Committee on Commerce: Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and 
Consumer Protection held a hearing on Electronic Commerce: Consumer 
Protection in Cyberspace. Testimony was heard from Eileen Harrington, 
Associate Director, Division of Marketing Practices, Bureau of Consumer 
Protection, FTC; Shirley Sarna, Assistant Attorney General, Bureau of 
Consumer Frauds and Protection, State of New York; and public 
witnesses.
IMPEDIMENTS TO UNION DEMOCRACY
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Employer-
Employee Relations continued hearings on Impediments to Union 
Democracy, Part II: Right to Vote in the Carpenter's Union? Testimony 
was heard from public witnesses.
NIGERIA--PROSPECTS FOR DEMOCRACY
Committee on International Relations: Held a hearing on Prospects for 
Democracy in Nigeria. Testimony was heard from Susan Rice, Assistant 
Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State; and public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime held a hearing on the 
following bills; H.R. 4100, Free Market Prison Industries Reform Act of 
1998; and H.R. 2758, Federal Prison Industries Competition in 
Contracting Act of 1997. Testimony was heard from the following 
officials of the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice: Kathleen 
Hawk Sawyer, Director; and Steve Schwalb, Assistant Director; Michael 
J. Sullivan, Secretary, Department of Corrections, State of Wisconsin; 
and public witnesses.
RADIATION WORKERS JUSTICE ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration held a hearing 
on H.R. 3539, Radiation Workers Justice Act of 1998. Testimony was 
heard from Representative Redmond; Donald M. Remy, Deputy Assistant 
Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice; Lawrence J. 
Fine, M.D., Director, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and 
Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and 
Human Services; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--FOREST SERVICE TRAINING
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held 
an oversight hearing on Forest Service Training. Testimony was heard 
from Ron Stewart, Deputy Chief, Programs and Legislation, Forest 
Service, USDA.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES OVERSIGHT--AUBURN DAM SITE;
Committee on Resources: Subcommittee on Water and Power approved for 
full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 4111, amended, to 
provide for outlet modifications to Folsom Dam, a study for 
reconstruction of the Northfork American River Cofferdam, and the 
transfer to the State of California all right, title, and interest in 
and to the Auburn Dam; H.R. 1282, amended, to authorize the Secretary 
of the Interior to convey certain facilities of the Minidoka project to 
the Burley Irrigation district; H.R. 1943, amended, to convey certain 
real property within the Carlsbad Project in New Mexico to the Carlsbad 
Irrigation District; H.R. 3056, to provide for the preservation and 
sustainability of the family farm through the transfer of 
responsibility for operation and maintenance of the Flathead Indian 
Irrigation Project; H.R. 3687, amended, to authorize prepayment of 
amounts due under a water reclamation project contract for the Canadian 
River Project, Texas; and H.R. 4048, amended, to convey the Sly Park 
Dam and Reservoir to the El Dorado Irrigation District.
  The Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the status of the 
Auburn Dam Site and the potential to transfer the Federal interest to 
the State of California. Testimony was heard from John Zirschky, Acting 
Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil

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Works, Department of Defense; and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--CHINA: DUAL-USE SPACE TECHNOLOGY
Committee on Science: Held an oversight hearing on China: Dual-Use 
Space Technology. Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
WOMEN'S SMALL BUSINESS EXPANSION ACT
Committee on Small Business: Ordered reported H.R. 4078, Women's Small 
Business Expansion Act of 1998.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; RESOLUTIONS
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported the 
following bills: H.R. 2379, to designate the Federal building and U.S. 
courthouse located at 251 North Main Street in Winston-Salem, NC, as 
the ``Hiram H. Ward Federal Building and United States Courthouse''; 
H.R. 2787, amended, to designate the United States courthouse located 
in New Haven, Connecticut, as the ``Richard C. Lee United States 
Courthouse''; H.R. 3696, amended, to designate the Federal Courthouse 
located at 316 North 26th Street in Billings, Montana, as the ``James 
F. Battin Federal Courthouse''; H.R. 3982, amended, to designate the 
Federal building located at 310 New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, North 
Carolina, as the ``Terry Sanford Federal Building''; H.R. 3223, to 
designate the Federal building located at 300 East 8th Street in 
Austin, Texas, as the ``J.J. `Jake' Pickle Federal Building''; S. 1800, 
to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located 
at 85 Marconi Boulevard in Columbus, Ohio, as the ``Joseph P. Kinneary 
United States Courthouse''; Corps of Engineers Survey Resolutions; NRCS 
Small Watershed Project Resolutions; H.R. 3869, amended, Disaster 
Mitigation Act of 1998; H.R. 4058, to amend title 49, United States 
Code, to reauthorize programs of the Federal Aviation Administration; 
H.R. 2748, amended, Airline Service Improvement Act; and H.R. 4057, 
amended, Airport Improvement Program Reauthorization Act of 1998.
  The Committee approved the following resolutions: 12 Public Building; 
9 construction; 1 advance design; 2 repair and alteration; 9 Corps of 
Engineers Survey; and 2 NRCS Small Watershed Project.
  The Committee also approved pending Committee business.
OVERSIGHT
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation held an oversight hearing of the U.S. 
Role in the International Maritime Organization. Testimony was heard 
from Rear Adm. Robert C. North, USCG, Assistant Commandant, Marine 
Safety, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Transportation; and public 
witnesses.
FEDERAL RETIREMENT COVERAGE CORRECTIONS ACT; TRADE MEASURES
Committee on Ways and Means: Ordered reported amended H.R. 3249, 
Federal Retirement Coverage Corrections Act.
  The Committee adversely reported the following measures: H.J. Res. 
120, disapproving the extension of the waiver authority contained in 
section 402(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to Vietnam; and 
H.J. Res. 121, disapproving the extension of nondiscriminatory 
treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) to the products of the 
People's Republic of China.